User blog:WonderBuono!/Tips for working together to make a good wiki!
Hi, everyone, WB here. My apologies for being semi-inactive lately; I've been super busy over at Hello! Project Wiki trying to get templates in order, but I'm mostly done with that now. I've also been avoiding many story-related pages here because I have not yet seen the last, like, six episodes of this season, and I don't want any spoilers. So sorry if things get neglected! Now as someone who has been admin across three wikis for a while (soon to start my fourth!), I think I've seen all sides of how a wiki can run: the good, the bad, and the ugly. And unfortunately, I've seen this wiki be all three. So how do we combat the bad and the ugly and just bring out the good in our community? My favorite wiki, by far, is H!P Wiki. I wish I could make a career out of editing/admin-ing there, because I could do it all day. I've learned along the way what makes us a good community, and also what we could work on, and I thought I'd share a few things with you. #'Keep an open mind.' Everyone on the wiki should contribute their ideas, and everyone should listen to the ideas of others. If opinions clash, it is most helpful to try to come up with a compromise in which all, or nearly all, users can be happy. A wiki is a group project, not your own personal website, so sacrificing your own opinions is sometimes necessary for the greater good. #'Do not value yourself over others.' This one kind of goes with the first point. As I said, a wiki is a group project, and every user should be counted as important. If you have admin rights, don't think that somehow means you're always right and everyone else is wrong. If you have more edits than another, don't think that you have authority over them. EVERYONE is important and valuable, and should be treated as so WITH RESPECT. #'Keep a positive atmosphere.' I understand that it can often be very frustrating working on a large group project such as a wiki. Opinions clash, personalities clash... it's hard to keep everyone acting as one unit. But if you really want people to work together, you have to stay positive. If you feel like you're the only one doing the work, politely ask a friend of yours if they can find some free time to help out. If someone keeps making an edit that angers you, vent aloud to yourself, and then come back and calmly explain to them the problems with their edits. If two people are arguing and you're caught in the middle, do what you can to keep the peace, and if you can't, ask one of us admins to help! When you become negative, it gives everyone else a negative attitude, and doesn't make anything fun. #'Have fun with it!' If you find that your fun pastime has suddenly become a burden, maybe it's time to take a break. Remember that no one is required to do anything here. Editing is something that all of us do with our free time, and we do it for fun, because we love this show and love sharing all kinds of info about it. If you've lost your passion, you either need to change your attitude, or leave. It sounds blunt, I know, but it's true; if you're not enjoying it, you're wasting your time. That's all the tips I have off the top of my head. If you're really serious about being a regular editor here (maybe you even want to become admin), learning to be a team player is essential! If you have any other tips, please share them with us. And remember, as the Winx would say: "POSITIVE ENERGY!" Category:Blog posts